24th African Senior Athletics Championships: Chukwuma Loses 100m Gold in Photo-Finish, Says Race Official

One of the officiating officials at the ongoing has revealed how Cameroonian Kole Etame edged pre-race overwhelming favourite and African leader at 10.95, Nigeria’s Rosemary Chukwuma, to win the 100m gold.

Many Nigerians expressed shock that Chukwuma, tipped to end Nigeria’s 12-year wait for an African Championships blue riband gold despite her intimidating credentials coming into the Championships, lost the race.

Nigeria’s army of social media reporters at the Championships insinuated cheating, but an official at the event presented photo-finish evidence to show that the 22-year-old Cameroonian, who via World Athletics records started her 2026 campaign at the Championships, pipped the Nigerian to the ultimate title on the line.

In the photo-finish evidence, the official remarked: ‘For our information, this is the result and photo-finish impression of the 100m women’s final yesterday. I have tried to indicate the captured positions of the torso of both athletes. Rosemary’s is yellow and the Cameroonian is red. This, I showed to our team managers yesterday. I think this should put paid to the arguments.’

With this, Nigeria’s bid to end a 12-year winless run has now been extended for another two years at the least.

The last Nigerian woman to mount the 100m podium as African champion was Blessing Okagbare, who ran 11.00, then a Championships record, in 2014 in Marrakech. It was her second 100m title win after she succeeded Damola Osayomi to win in 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also in the men’s 100m, the story of a winless run was extended, and it will reach 20 years in 2028 when the African Senior Athletics Championships’ train makes its 25th stop in Gaborone, Botswana.